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Smashing Pumpkins' Spirits on Fire tour burns bright with nostalgia

November 07, 2022

Smashing Pumpkins performed at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Friday, November 4, 2022.Tony Nelson for MPR

What appeared on stage at Xcel Energy Center Friday night felt like a play with three distinct acts — thorny youth, hedonism, and nostalgia — played in succession by Poppy, Jane’s Addiction, and the Smashing Pumpkins. Each took the stage to thrill a multi-generational crowd for the Spirits on Fire tour. With every act in differen stages of their career, it made for a wild and multi-faceted ride that provided only a little bit of whiplash along the way.

Three minutes before Poppy’s set began, the venue was sparsely filled with aging alt-rock adults and teens in cut-up fishnets. Red blinking lights, beeps, and waves of electronic bass flowed through the sound system as 27-year-old Boston-bred Poppy and her band took the stage. Capturing a surreal amalgamation of sounds, Poppy’s career began as a saccharine art-pop act that swiftly morphed into one more macabre in presentation. The one throughline from the early years she maintained is her bubblegum vocals, now occasionally punctuated by cheerleader-like chants and throaty growls. In 2021, she became the first woman to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance.

Backed by gritty, grinding guitars, and blasting drums, at times reminiscent of Sleigh Bells, the blend of sounds is uniquely hers. Poppy’s set drew many comparisons, from the straight-up nu-metal flavor of “FYB” to a melody like Elliott Smith’s “Needle In the Hay” on “Her” to what could be a modern-day adaptation of Kittie on “I Disagree.” In a more subdued moment of her set, “Hysteria” weaved shimmery new-wavey guitar with the same ethereal voice found on the metallic, industrial “BLOODMONEY.” Her voice, like a scalpel, has the potential to be both delicate and dangerous — much like Poppy herself.

After Poppy left the stage, the filled-in crowd possessed an antsy energy in anticipation of Jane’s Addiction. The feeling only increased when an updated version of the iconic Nothing’s Shocking album cover appeared on the screen, illuminating the image of conjoined twins in red lingerie with hair ablaze. When Jane’s Addiction emerged, noticeable was the absence of original guitarist and Ink Master host Dave Navarro due to his ongoing battle with long COVID. Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen took his place for the raunchy and energetic set.

A man in Western wear holds a microphone — Jane's Addiction performed at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Friday, November 4, 2022. They were openers for Smashing Pumpkins.
Tony Nelson for MPR

Lead singer Perry Farrell was decked out in a cream bejeweled jumpsuit that landed somewhere between a rhinestone cowboy and Elton John’s wardrobe. He jumped, pumped his arms like a rooster, and thrusted across the stage. For a man who made a whole career of being a big ol’ horndog, his banter somehow remained wholesome. The 63-year-old had whimsical and upbeat, if not a little airheaded, lead-ins to a few songs that brought attendees along for the ride before the launch of another well-loved tune. Choice commentary included how God was everyone’s dad before “Had a Dad,” his wife’s love for murder documentaries and the violence in them before “Ted, Just Admit It,” that love is cool with a dedication to all of the lovers before “Jane Says,” and a diatribe about the harshness of Minnesota winters before “Mountain Song.”

Dancers graced the stage in outfits dripping in strands of glimmering gems, lacy one-pieces, and gleaming red polyurethane lingerie. They writhed in tandem, swiveled their hips, and did acro-yoga splits on hardware designed for it onstage. After “Whores,” where a lap dance was simulated, Farrell chastised the crowd and crowed with his gravelly voice, “Come on you prudes, applaud! Don’t you love seeing some hot flesh?” Not only was the flesh blazing for Jane’s Addiction that night, but the sound they created was searing, too. Hearing the band’s funk-metal spirit and West Coast psychedelia felt like time-traveling to the late ’80s when Nothing’s Shocking first emerged.

There was a palpable harmony and shared joy among the band’s lineup as original bassist Eric Avery joined for the Spirits on Fire tour after a 12-year break. With longtime drummer Stephen Perkins rattling off impressive solos, Jane’s Addiction seemed like they were having the time of their lives together, especially as they closed their set with the hit “Been Caught Stealing” to whoops of approval and a chorus of applause.

In sharp contrast to Jane’s Addiction’s baccanalian set, the Smashing Pumpkins were less flamboyantly dressed, more buttoned-up, and all mostly in black. Lead singer Billy Corgan appeared especially chaste with a streak of black makeup across his pale and powdered eyes and donning a high-necked robe-like jacket that fell to his shins. It gave him a priest-like appearance as the band ripped into a new song, “Empires.” With a propulsive central riff and Corgan’s signature whine reminiscent of Mellon Collie-era Pumpkins, it was an excellent precursor to the nostalgia wave about to come – with lights and visuals to match.

Band plays on stage cast in hazy blue light — The Smashing Pumpkins, joined by Jane's Addiction, performed at the Xcel Energy Center on Friday, November 5, 2022.
Tony Nelson for MPR

With his voice low, Corgan purred, “The world is a vampire.” The crowd erupted as the Pumpkins launched into “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” as beams of light blasted our eyes and the image of blood red ship sailing on roiling waves flashed behind the band. “Today” followed dreamily, with warm lights washing over and a massive star above the stage pulsed. With a setlist that spanned much of their 34-year career, the Smashing Pumpkins did not disappoint fans looking to enjoy live versions of their favorite songs.

Mid-set, Corgan and James Iha performed an intimate, acoustic version of “Tonight, Tonight.” Later, in perhaps the most perfect three-song lineup of the evening, the Pumpkins crashed from “Cherub Rock” to the vicious riffs of “Zero” to the sentimental resonance of “1979.”

Peppered throughout were new tracks, too, like the bouncy disco-leaning “CYR,” which had gaudy, Lite-Brite-esque beads of light blipping behind the Pumpkins. An unexpected surprise was a dark cover of the Talking Heads’ “Once In a Lifetime.” Their version's droning, doomy heaviness with Jack Bates plucking the bass seemed appropriately suited, especially with the lyrical content. Jeff Schroeder showed off his precise guitar-shredding skills and Jimmy Chamberlin smashed the drums until everything dissolved into distortion under blinking red-and-black lights that gave a 3D effect.

Band plays under a large star and many light beams — The Smashing Pumpkins, joined by Jane's Addiction, performed at the Xcel Energy Center on Friday, November 5, 2022.
Tony Nelson for MPR

The Smashing Pumpkins were incredibly dialed-in and possessed an almost robotic level of cleanliness in their presentation. Still, there was a human element. It was a treat to see Corgan – known for being a curmudgeon who has played the “bad guy” with the press and has held controversial political stances – looking relaxed and satisfied as he danced onstage. He was thankful and effusive towards the crowd. This example of Corgan’s attitude and the glimmers of positivity and fun in new songs show that the bands we love (and the people in them) can grow, change, and mellow. Friday night’s Smashing Pumpkins show, too, proves that a longstanding band can maintain a level of familiarity and nostalgia within the evolution of their sound and selves.

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